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Name Nerds

Name Nerds: this is a new term for me. I didn't know I was one. But I do have a thing for names. Ever since I was a young girl and since I've kept a personal journal, I have been keeping lists of names. Whenever I hear a name I'm not familiar with I ask the person about their name. What its origins are - what it means. I have a keen interest in it.I remember going to the temple as a 12 year old girl and remembering unique names of persons I was baptised for and in behalf of... like Dorcas. How could that be a real name. But since I own a baby name dictionary for world names - I see it's a common name - or at least it used to be.Some names are totally common and popular in the Netherlands that wouldn't work at all in the United States. For example, and this is no joke, this is a real name: Freek (boy). So is Joke (girl). Of course, they are pronounced differently in Dutch than in English.This is part of the problem with choosing a baby name. A good sounding American-English name might not work over here. Like Brody. I love the name... but in Dutch it sounds like brood - meaning bread.Another name I love Coby/Koby/Kobe - is a feminine form of Jacob. In America it's a boys name - but here it's a girl name. Ticks me off.It's weird how you can totally love a name, and then all of a sudden the thought of actually using it for one of your own kids - has you second guess yourself.That's what I'm having. I like unique names, but now that I'm having a boy I'm not sure I want such a unique name. I mean, this kid is already gonna be the youngest of four - with three older sisters... and there will come a time, when those girls are all menstruating monsters and it's gonna be scary for him.I can't guarantee that we can give him a comrade, a baby brother to chum around with, so I need to give him a good name at least to make his life a little easier.And he's already gonna stand out in a crowd because there are not a lot of Latter-day Saints in this area - so he's just gonna be a little different.Maybe by giving him a more common name will make his life a little easier.But should it be so common that there are two or three kids in his class with the same name? I don't think so. But it could at least be common enough that it's a heard of name and not a make fun of what where your parents thinking kind of name.I thought I had the perfect name picked out: Kenobi. And I thought that it wouldn't bother me if people called him Obi-wan, cause heck we'd probably call him that, too... but then, someone saw the name and jokingly said Obi-wan Kenobi... and in that moment, it actually bothered me. And I thought, I'm not so sure I want to use this name.Maybe, if I get a future pug - cause I always wanted a pug, that could be a good name for my pug. Here is my second problem, my husband likes the name Hunter, but for me, it just doesn't have a good nickname that's cute that a Mom like me can use. I mean, Hun. That's so Baltimore - but it's not really a boy's nickname. Hunny - also, too feminine. I heard the name Tate the other day and I thought, that's perfect because then you can have a cute nickname like Tater tot - you know until they start school at least...Plus it sounds good with our last name: Tate Daams. I think so at least.Problem is whenever I like a name nobody else does. Doh!Here are some cool resources I have found lately, that have been very informative:Blog on baby names: SwistleandSSA Baby names - yes that's right Social Security Administration - popularity of baby names.So, we still have about three months to come up with something, my Mom says to just wait until he's born... but I need to narrow it down at least... until right before he's born.related posts:Punk Baby NamesMore Punk Baby NamesBaby Name: Kenobi (boy)Baby Names with Alternative Spellings

Today the children and I got to play with clay at The Tilted Kiln in St. George. I had driven past this pottery studio many times not realizing all the fun things it has to offer.

It's not just a pottery shop, though there is a section that some great local artists have pottery for sale. It has a section of ceramics that you can buy and paint yourself and they will cook it again after that.

That was fun to see. So many great ideas, from painting a large platter with the family name or something like "Dad's Burgers"to piggy banks and garden gnomes. They also had quite a few Christmas related ceramic crafts to paint.

My kids and I had so much fun browsing the ideas and we surely will find ourselves back in the shop come summer vacation! :)

You can come back for parties or other group activities and they have cla…

After moving back to the U.S. - there was definitely a readjustment period for me. So, I put time into starting a blog. And then getting myself out there, making friends and getting involved and going places and doing things with the children.

Then when I did that, and I did it successfully, there really was no time to blog about how great St. George is. I have come across a few other mommy bloggers that have attempted to explain just how great this area is, but after a time, everyone kinda stops and it's because we are enjoying the sunshine and the nature and all that this area has to offer that we stop blogging or just don't do it as often.

Recently a good friend, Michelle, that I met shortly after moving here, asked if I would write some blog posts for her on her blog Green Kale and Yams about my recent change has a Vitamix owner. I said, yes.

Now it's time to get the word out, that I have switched over from using a cheap model smoothie maker to an Americ…

This is going to have to be an ongoing post... what I mean, is I might have to update it again next year.

This is going to be a very big deal this year. My kids have never experienced real American Trick or Treating. I have talked about it, and they have seen it on tv shows over the years and they are very excited. As am I!

This is why I wanted to pick a neighborhood that would be awesome for their first experience. Originally, I had planned to spend the weekend with my brother and his family in Spanish Fork, Utah. They live in a neighborhood with about a million kids so it was going to be perfect... but since the flu has affected everyone lately, and since my whole family was sick to death of road trips since we moved back here, we decided to stay in St. George.

This posed a problem for me. I didn't know where the best street was. After a quick google search, I found nothing! No one has blogged about this, at least, not in the first three or four pages of a google search.